How we cite our quotes: Chapter name.(Chapter Number).Paragraph
Quote #1
"The element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future," Einstein had written. "One day man will release and control its almost infinite power. We cannot prevent him from doing so and can only hope that he will not use it exclusively in blowing up his next-door neighbor." (Finding Einstein.(3).32)
Imagine having what Einstein called "infinite power" contained in a single bomb, and then try to picture a world in which someone wouldn't be tempted to use it. Einstein was right to be concerned.
Quote #2
"The Germans could destroy all of London if they succeed," Wilson said.
"I didn't really believe him," Poulsson later admitted. "In those days, no one thought in terms of one bomb destroying a whole city." (International Gangster School.(9).24-25)
It would be almost like handing President Truman a cellphone and expecting him to know how to use it. The atomic bomb was powerful beyond anyone's imagination—even the physicists who were building it had no idea how formidable it would be outside of theoretical postulations.
Quote #3
"This would be a very, very powerful weapon," he said, "which in the hands of Hitler and his crew would let them completely control the rest of the world."
He decided to go to the meeting. Soon after, Richard Feynman disappeared from the Princeton campus. (Disappearing Scientists.(12).44-45)
Can you even imagine what the world would be like now if Hitler had gotten the atomic bomb first? We're not so confident there'd even really be a world…